


what the storm left behind //

by dalphaengi



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 14:10:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18606121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dalphaengi/pseuds/dalphaengi
Summary: A compilation of the author's oldnot-so-goodrandom poops (read:flash fictionsandshort stories) that are all written in English, 2016-2018.PS. Most of her works published in this compilation are also posted in the Facebook page'sSobrang Short Storieswith the hashtag,#SobrangShortStories, and under different code names.STATUS:COMPLETE





	1. THE MAN UNDER THE TALISAY TREE AND HIS PHONE THAT HE THOUGHT WAS KIND OF BROKEN

Every time I go home from school in the afternoon, I usually stop by the talisay tree, sit under it, and try to read a book for about an hour. Sometimes when I don't have something to read, I dig around the tree, loosen the soil, and pull out the weeds. Then I hug it like a mother lovingly hugging her child.

     Actually, I grew this tree when I was still little, and ever since, I am extremely attached to it.

     This usual spot of mine is like my refuge from my everyday stress in school before I go to work as a barista in a milk tea shop.

     But I can't do it now.

     Recently, there's this tall old man who would walk around the tree mindlessly while holding up his phone in the air. I dare not approach the tree because from the look of his face, he's kind of short-tempered. Like he's ready to box the ears of anyone who is daft enough to interrupt whatever he's doing.

     It's been like that for ten days straight.

     On the eleventh day, he's still there, holding his phone in the air. He's getting a bit dirty, too. Eye-bags are forming under his eyes. I think he has a problem with his phone. Or about what's in his phone.

     Gathering enough courage, I went up in front of him, stopping him, then bowed low as a sign of respect.

     "Excuse me, sir. Sorry for the interruption." With a small smile, I looked at him straight in the eyes. He looks like he's already in his fifties this close. But he's too tall for his age. Genes, maybe? "Don't you mind if I ask you about why are you here under this tree for eleven days already?"

     I took a sniff in the air. He does smell a bit nice, even after many days of not taking a bath. (He smells like petrichor - - that earthly smell after the rain.) Putting both of my hands on my lap, I patiently waited for his answer.

     The yellow-and-orange leaves fell one at a time from the talisay tree the same time his tears fell from his eyes.

     All of the sudden, he hugged me as if I was his long-lost daughter and that he found me at last.

     "N-no one dared to approach me b-because they thought I was some kind of a m-m-madman," he finally spoke, between sobs. "Can you, m-my dear, help me? It seems that my phone had gone bonkers, a-and" - - he sniffed, then I felt a wet snot landing on my shoulder, but I didn't mind one bit - - "maybe it needs a b-bit of signal?"

     "Sure, sir. I'll do my best to help you." I smiled. "But, what's that got to do with it under here? I mean, you've walked around this tree a lot of times for days!"

     He wiped his tears using the back of his hand then stood up, towering me. I almost broke my neck from looking up to him. "This is the only tall tree in town," he started to explain. "I tried to climb this" - - he patted the trunk - - "to get strong signal for my phone. But it's harder than I thought, thanks to my height," he sarcastically said.

     "Oh. Are you going to contact someone? Your wife? Kids?"

     "No. It's the time." He gave me his phone, which I accepted in hesitance. "I can't see the time in the upper right corner of the screen, so I reckon that it might need some signal to make it appear again."

     My eyebrows almost joined forces. "Um, sir, you don't need signal to make the time appear. Here." I quickly tapped the screen until I was directed to the phone's settings. "You see here, yes - - that." I tapped Date/Time. "And" - - I tapped again - - "voila! There's your time!" I gave him back his phone.

     "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" Now jolly, he shook my hand. "How can I repay you for your good deed and for taking care of me?"

     "No, it's okay," I said with a shy beam and a shake of my head, though I didn't get him with the for taking care of me line. I just shrugged. "It's alright."

     "I know it's not. You badly want that violin you saw in the mall last week, right?"

     I looked at him, surprised. How did he know about that?

     "You told me," he added, answering my unspoken question.

     "H-huh?" I didn't recall anything about me telling anyone, particularly this man, about it!

     "Thank you. For everything." Gratefully, he smiled then went behind the talisay tree. After a few moments of being idle (because I was that surprised!), I rushed behind the tree and... the old man's gone.

     I looked around, even walked around the tree, but I still didn't see even one gray hair from him. And... oh, crap! I suddenly looked at my wristwatch. I'm a half-hour late for work! I immediately ran like mad to the milk tea shop, which is a hundred meters away.

     "I'M HERE!" I said to my manager, huffing and puffing when I finally showed up at the back door. "I'M SORRY THAT I AM SUPER-DUPER LATE BECAUSE I HAD T - - !"

     "Calm down," my manager cut me off. "It's still two hours before your shift. Your co-worker still hasn't arrived yet." She pursed her lips, stifling a giggle. "Oh... are you excited for our event today that's why you're very early, like I am?"

     I faked a teeth-showing smile as a response. I looked at my wristwatch again, and she's right - - but not right about the event though. Events are not my cup of tea.

     Has time stopped earlier?

     Wait, no. I think my wristwatch was just broken. Yes, definitely broken.

     "Oh, by the way, someone just sent you a package." My manager gave me a long, rectangular box. "Maybe that's from a fan of yours here in the shop. Unfortunately, there's no return address in the card so you can't thank Talisay."

     "T-Talisay?"

     "That's the sender's name, I think."

     I looked at the package then with slightly shaking hands, I took the card neatly glued on top and looked at it.

     "H-here is your violin," I slowly read the calligraphed message, "and thank you again, for everything... Talisay."

\- -

\- -

     That tall old man... my... tree...

♡


	2. THE CONCH OR WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU'VE HEARD IT

Today's my seventh birthday, and my great grandmother's gift is a shell which is the size of my tiny fist.

     "Take this, my child." She smiles. "Put your ear near it, and listen to the sound of ocean waves splashing. Take care of it for you can never hear the sound anywhere but from that."

     I do what she instructed, and indeed, I hear the sound which I can never hear again from our oceans now full of garbage.

♡


	3. THE DEED THAT IS SURREPITIOUSLY ONLY BETWEEN US

I woke up naked beside him and with sheets in between us. I looked at his sleeping face, touching his cheek while remembering what happened to us last night. It was a new but amazing experience: how he touched everything with expertise, how he gently kissed me with such sweetness, how he was inside me deeply again and again...

     I suddenly heard the door from the living room below slammed shut.

     "Sweeties, I'm home!"

     "What the f - - ! Kuya, KUYAAA!" I vigorously shook him awake. "Mom's home! Get dressed immediately!"

♡


	4. CREATURES ON A MISSION + THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NAIAD EVER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **[A/N:]** _This story was written back when I was working under a small company led by a group of artists and writers. This was originally an assignment as a newbie writer there. And I'm proud to say that I didn't disappoint them._

There are three creatures who are the best of friends - - an orc, a dragon, and a goblin. One day, they decided to set off into the woods for a mission: find themselves nymphs to make them their wives. Deeper and deeper into the woods they went until they came to a wide river, and there in the riverbank sat the loveliest naiad they have ever seen in their entire lives. The naiad had wonderful wavy hair as fine as spun gold, and her eyes were like two gleaming emeralds. The trio hid behind a big bush and continued to be amazed with her awestruck beauty.

     Without further ado...

     "She'll be my wife," said the orc proudly.

     "No. She'll be mine!" spat the dragon.

     "None of you can have her because she's going to be mine soon, so back off," argued the goblin.

     But instead of a bloody fight among the three, they decided to impress her to win her hand.

     They stepped out from behind a big bush, taking the naiad by surprise. But instead of running away, she looked at them, curious about what's going on.

     "My fair naiad," exclaimed the orc like a prince would do to his princess, showing off his sledgehammer, "please choose me and I will vow to protect you from the evils of Mythwron." Then he smashed and uprooted all the surrounding trees with his weapon.

     The naiad said nothing.

     The dragon spoke next, "I, your soon-to-be husband, will make your nights warmer with this," showing and opening his right claw which suddenly burst into flames, "and you won't need fire spells anymore."

     The naiad still said nothing.

     Finally, the goblin came near and knelt before the naiad. "I may not have a weapon to protect you and the power to produce fire to warm your nights, but" - - he then showed off his big pockets which are very full of gold coins and jewelries - - "I'm RICH! I can buy you anything and everything you desired! Choose me, and you'll be richer than a queen!"

     The naiad stood up.

     The trio held their breaths.

     Then, with a deep man's voice, she spoke, "Thank you, gentlemen - - but, I hate to break this to you three: as you can't see... I'm a dude, actually. It just happened that someone cursed me to look like a naiad until after the moon cycle ends."

     The dragon scoffed, not believing a word. A girl this pretty, a male? "Really? Or are you just playing hard-to-get, since you don't fancy me?"

     "Or me?" asked the orc and goblin altogether.

     The naiad sighed, then lifted up his skirt to show to them his paradise, a guy's paradise.

     From that day on, the three best friends cannot look at nymphs the same again... especially naiads.

♡


	5. THE JACKFRUIT TREE AND THE QUESTION ABOUT FERTILIZER

"Of all the jackfruit seedlings we've planted, after six years, only yours survived and grew into a healthy tree," said Joy, lightly brushing her fingers on my tree's thick trunk.

     "Yeah. I can see that," I said, proud and smiling.

     "Too bad Mr. Fuyukai, our teacher and adviser, can't see your tree since he just mysteriously disappeared six years ago," she said sadly, looking at me. "By the way, what's your secret or are you just born with a green thumb?"

     I smiled at her then gazed at the base of the tree where I buried Mr. Fuyukai after strangling him to death with my uniform's necktie, six years ago.

     "The latter, Joy. The latter."

♡


	6. THE COCKROACH OR... "DO YOU REMEMBER SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE THIS PEST?"

Irene was doing her nightly routine, taking a bath, when a cockroach decided to suddenly show up on the tiled wall.

     She gave it an icy, death glare.

     "Ew," she muttered, disgusted at the brown and dirty pest. "You really remind me of my ex. Oh, wait. I shall call you George. That's my stupid ex's name."

     The cockroach suddenly flew and disappeared from her sight.

     "So what?" she muttered again, shaking her head. "Just like George, that cockroach disappeared without any notice, until I learned he's busy with something - - no, slash that - - someone else. Cheaters gonna cheat." She sighed, followed with a snort. "Guess I'll have to get used to it."

     She bent to lather her leg with liquid soap when she felt something landed on her shoulder. Turns out, it's the cockroach earlier. Before she can shoo it away, it whispered...

"I still love you."

♡


	7. THE MORSEL HE'S SUPPOSED TO REMOVE TO EARN THOSE ADOLESCENCE POINTS

It was Dex's first date with Ichee, who he's currently courting, and they decided to eat in a middle-class restaurant, Dutch treat.

     They were just having their chitchat while eating when he noticed she had a morsel at the corner of her mouth.

     She glanced at him when he quietly took a table napkin and when he was supposed to wipe the morsel off from her face... her long tongue suddenly and unexpectedly flicked to it like a hungry bullfrog would do to a juicy bluebottle fly.

♡


	8. THE GIRL I MET AND WANTED TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH

I met someone from a confession page in Facebook, and she's really awesome. I mean, she's beautiful, smart, everything. She's a complete package. She's not even picky. She loves chewing on plastic when she's bored. She loves walking on barefoot. How did I know? We always chat. She always shared something about herself, and I with her. At first, I thought she's going to ignore my message and my friend request, but no, she replied my hi with a hello, and she also accepted my friend request. She's fun to chat with, and she never runs out of topics. Amazing girl. Everyday, I fall hard in love with her more and more - - until the time came when I can't contain my feelings any longer. With that, I decided to confess to her in person.

     One evening, I sent her a message asking her if we can meet somewhere, and luckily, she said yes. And boy, when I saw her for the first time, I couldn't believe she's prettier than her selfies she posted on Facebook. And her smile, it's so cute. Albeit she got eye-bags, her curious chocolate-brown eyes made my heart skip a million beats.

     We decided to eat at McDonald's. While she was eating her fries (which she dipped in her hot fudge chocolate sundae), I couldn't stop stealing glances at her.

     "Um, something's wrong with my face?" she asked.

     This is it. The moment of truth.

     "I - - I need to tell you something," I said, a bit nervous.

     She asked again with her cute signature smile, "Yes? What is it?"

     "Uh... I - - I like you," I said with an awkward tone.

     "I also like you, too!" she gleefully answered.

     I blushed. What?

     "You like me, too - - ?" I couldn't help asking, double-checking if I'm hearing her aright.

     "Yep!" she replied with her freaking smile again. Please. My heart has skipped a million beats already. But it quickly died down when she added, "As a friend."

     "No, uh - - I mean, I like you more than a friend."

     There, I said it. I dropped my gaze to my food, still untouched. I must be blushing hard already.

     "Oooh, like best friends?" she asked.

     "N-no!" I suddenly slapped the table hard and stood up. I stared hard at her. She gave me a look of surprise. Other diners are already watching the two of us, but I don't give a damn now.

     "I like you more than a friend, more than a best friend, and more than that!" I said. "I know you're not dumb to not get what I mean! So... can... you be... my girlfriend?!"

     The inside of the McDonald's suddenly became quiet. The diners, the service crew, and I... were waiting for her reply.

     At last, she smiled, stood up, and spoke, "I'd love to have someone and call them my significant other honestly," then she sighed, "but... you're a... girl."

♡


	9. I HAVE A FRIEND AND SHE'S THE BEST, I CAN ASSURE YOU

I have a best friend. She is very pretty, intelligent, and kind. We always talk every night at ten outside our family garden. And since my curfew is eight PM, I just sneaked out then ran outside to the family garden where beautiful flowers bloom in diversity. Then I'll smile to my best friend and she'll also smile back at me, and afterwards, we'll begin talking right away. We never ran out of topics. Incest, religion, conspiracies, phobias - - those topics that not all girls would commonly want to talk about. This was always done in a surreptitious manner.

     No one knows about this... until one night.

     I did the usual, sneaking outside and to the family garden. My best friend and I smiled at each other at first, then we began talking. The topic was about failed apocalyptic predictions.

     "Ate Kheil?"

     I stopped talking to my best friend, then turned around to find my sister in her PJs, bed hair, and a puzzled look on her face.

     "Ate?" she called again. "W-why are you talking to your hand mirror, by the way, at this unearthly hour?"

♡


	10. CHOCOLATES AND FLOWERS TO CELEBRATE OUR YEAR, YEAH? WAIT, I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY

"Happy anniversary, babe," he said as he gave me a bouquet of red roses one evening, when I arrived from school. "I'm sorry if there are no chocolates. The bouquet alone is a bit... expensive," he added - - the last word, he whispered. He then looked down on the ground, probably from embarrassment that he can't afford more than what he thought he should give to his girlfriend.

     I smiled, appreciating everything.

     "That's okay, this is enough." I picked a stem and ate the flower whole, still red and fresh. "Thank you so much."

♡


	11. GREEN INFERNO, BUT WAIT, I DON'T KNOW THAT MOVIE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, HUN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **[A/N:]** _Originally wrote this one as an entry to an online drabble-writing contest before (2017, I think?), and won the championship. I don't know. It was an amazing experience._

"There falls another one!"

     I watched as those men made my brothers and sisters, one by one, fall to their demise.

     For them, it's hard work. For my siblings, it's indescribable pain.

     Before dusk settled, they left with my lifeless siblings, piled neatly on top of one another. I just stood there, crying and hoping this madness would cease.

     Years later, I heard that they stopped.

     That might mean survival to most of my kind. Great news, right?

     Sadly, no.

     "Timber!"

     It maybe the discontinuance of axes but it's also the genesis of chainsaws. They still want more of us.

♡


	12. LISA'S HUNGRY, AND NO, SHE ISN'T PART OF BLACKPINK

"I'm still hungry," moaned Lisa, after eating three apple pies, five tubs of ice cream, and her entire family.

♡


	13. PERGENANT. PREGANTE.

"She is pregnant!" my sister announced to us folks one morning. "Her tummy's getting big!"

     "The cat?" I asked, confused. "I thought that one's a tom?"

     "No, I mean your late pet dog's granddaughter's pregnant!" she exclaimed. "The one with the little white dip on the tip of her tail?"

     "Ah. But how did she get knocked up?" I scratched my head. "She can't even get out of the house."

     She shrugged. "I don't know."

\- -

\- -

"She's already in labor!" my sister shouted. I hurried downstairs and gave her the old blankets for the newborn puppies.

     I muttered, annoyed, under my breath when I looked at something. The first puppy was going to come out butt-first; it went fine until its head got stuck. My sister and I encouraged our dog by patting her on her head and promised her treats until the puppy came out.

     We squinted to adjust our eyes to the little damp form on the blankets, noticed that its head was kind of awkward, found out why it looked weird and deformed, and screamed.

     "What in tarnation!" My guy cousin came out of his room, wondering why we were screaming. He looked at our dog then to the puppy, then his eyes widened and his face paled to what he saw. "What the actual f - - "

     "You're the father?!" my sister and I chorused.

♡


End file.
